Is it really possible that we are celebrating 17 years of Solo Traveler?
It seems, at the same time, both shorter and longer. But there is no doubt that we at Solo Traveler, the Solo Traveler community, and the travel industry have all come a long way since 2009. The website and our various projects and services have grown, as have our numbers of followers, the global number of people traveling alone, and the number of travel companies serving solo travelers well.
17 years ago this week, I launched Solo Traveler. I can remember the first time 10 people visited the site in one day, and my mother wasn't one of them. Now we have many, many more plus a dedicated readership of 60,000 on our mailing list. (If you're not already receiving our free newsletters, you can sign up here.)
When I started, Google provided the search terms people used to find our site. “Is it weird to travel alone?” was one of those terms. My response came in month four with a short ebook called, “Glad You're Not Here. A Solo Traveler's Manifesto“. Yes, you can still download it. Of course, I later wrote The Solo Traveler's Handbook.
At about the same time, Tracey contributed her first post to Solo Traveler. It wasn't long after that she started contributing regularly and then became our editor, leveling up the quality of research and content of our posts.
Next, Simon joined us and turned his attention to the challenge of the single supplement. He developed and nurtured relationships with travel companies around the world, encouraging them to offer great deals to our readers. The result is a rich resource of tours and cruises with low (20% max) or no single supplements. You can see the tour offerings for solo travelers by company here and, thanks to an update two years ago, you can search all the trips based on your interests here. If you prefer, you can receive the new list by email every month as soon as it is updated by signing up here.
We built and continue to foster a vibrant community on Facebook, the Solo Travel Society, which now boasts more than 270,000 travelers from across the world. Tracey moderates this group, interacting with members 365 days a year, posing questions, sharing information and encouragement.
Our most recent project is Tracey's List, a curated shortlist of tours and cruises for solo travelers with zero single supplements. This arose from our desire to give our community something more, since so many of you have told us that you enjoy group tours some of the time, but find the single supplement prohibitive.
Now, each month, armed with industry insight, patience, and 30+ years of solo travel experience, Tracey digs through the fine print of over 100 trips, compares options, and does the research to save you time and money. Tracey's List is entirely hands-on, subscriber-focused and supported, which means there is no advertising, no AI, and no commercial influence. Just fabulous trips and great value. You can sign up here.
Thank You for Being a Part of 17 Years of Solo Traveler
All of what we do is in service of our mission at Solo Traveler, which is to deliver information, inspiration, and advocacy for and on behalf of those who love to travel alone.
You are the reason we do what we do, and we couldn’t do it without your participation in the Solo Traveler community: contributing destination posts, reading our articles and newsletters, interacting on the Solo Travel Society Facebook page, and following us on Instagram.
Thank you for 17 great years of Solo Traveler. Happy Anniversary to all of us in the Solo Traveler Community! We wish you lots more exciting solo travel to come!
Tracey put together a slideshow of some members of the Solo Traveler community. Have a look and see your fellow travelers exploring the world on their own terms.
